Louvre Transfers Treasures to Secure Vault Following Daring Heist

Mon Nov 10 2025 23:17:23 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

In the wake of a shocking daylight robbery, the Louvre has moved its valuable jewels to the ultra-secure vault of the Bank of France, highlighting concerns over museum security.

After a brazen heist at the Louvre, where thieves made off with priceless treasures including items once owned by empresses, the museum has relocated its valuable jewels to the Bank of France's highly secure underground vault. This move comes amid scrutiny over the museum's security measures, particularly as the heist exposed vulnerabilities in its infrastructure.

The Louvre has transferred some of its most precious jewels to the Bank of France after a spectacular daylight heist exposed woeful flaws in the museum's security.

On Friday, a secret police escort oversaw the transfer of some of the remaining jewels to the Bank, located approximately 500m from the museum, according to French media reports.

These artifacts will now be stored in the Bank's most secure vault, situated 26m below the ground floor of its elegant headquarters in central Paris.

This vault, known as the Souterraine, is home to 90% of France's gold reserves, as well as the notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci and other national treasures, valued at an estimated €600m (£520m).

The vault is designed to endure all sorts of attacks, with the main shaft protected by a 50cm-thick, seven-tonne door made of flame-resistant concrete and reinforced with steel. Behind this door is a 35-tonne rotating concrete turret that ensures any attempt for forced entry is thwarted.

Last Sunday, masked thieves utilized an angle grinder to smash through a reinforced window into the Louvre's Gallery of Apollo, which houses France's crown jewels. In just eight minutes, they stole valuable items, including a necklace from Napoleon's wife, Empress Marie-Louise, and a diadem belonging to Empress Eugenie, with a total worth of €88m (£77m).

The thieves employed a mechanical ladder mounted on a lorry to gain entry to the gallery's first-floor balcony.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez expressed his confidence in the police's ability to catch the thieves. Meanwhile, Louvre Director Laurence des Cars acknowledged the museum's 'aging' security infrastructure, revealing that the only camera monitoring the wall where the break-in occurred was facing the wrong direction.